And I was curious if there a way for me to actually buy a duplex or higher on a FHA loan or a loan without large down payment, so basically no or minimal money down.

You don't get the depreciation , the return is minimal 4-6 % , still better than banks , but the money is tied up for years ,  you can't leverage it or refinance for another deal whenever you need .

The target property almost definitely has to be a value add minimally distressed property that can be refinanced after repairs, or just a fix and flip.

But since it's a flip, and I don't want any headache on county inspectors, etc, getting into the middle of something that there's no need to get into, and delaying the flip process for any reason (not doing anything illegal, getting permits for new windows, etc, but never know with previous owner's reno, etc). 

You can learn to do assignments, for example, far from your neighborhood which pose no risk and have minimal capital requirements.

Even thought the split will be very minimal (35-50% of each transaction, desk fees possible, etc.).

If there is a delay then the weekly amounts become smaller. 

Tax accountants I've worked with, work well on a transactional basis - you decide the investment strategy across different assets, and if that means $X towards ABC real estate, they'll advise how to minimize tax impact.

Yes, it's possible though, but it's also possible it blows up in your face and delays the file greatly or kills it depending on foreclosure status, value status etc.

Youll make mistakes in the beginning, but if you start small and put the right "team" together (i.e. a good deal finder such as an agent, a lender, a property manager, etc) then youll minimize your risk while learning so much from diving in.